If you're looking for affordable Italian fun, othing beats the Spider, ne of the marque's longest-running models. And the one to own is probably this 1978 Alfa Romeo Spider Niki Lauda edition, ne of 350 or so built that year to commemorate Brabham Alfa Romeo's partnership with driver Niki Lauda in Formula One. Beautifully maintained, t is pure Italian magic with a very reasonable price tag.The Niki Lauda cars were all painted in Brabham F1 livery, right red with white and blue stripes and wore a three piece fiberglass spoiler out back that would become standard equipment on later Spiders. This particular Spider was repainted in 2007 and they did a spectacular job, apturing the essential Italian look and exotic flavor of the car. Obviously, t helps to start with good base stock, nd with just 50,606 miles on the clock, his car was obviously a fair-weather toy all its life. They decided to leave the stripes off when it was repainted (they were only decals anyway, o it would be easy to replace them) but all the special emblems remain, ignifying this as one of the special Niki Lauda cars (#216 out of 350, o be precise). Finish quality is quite good and there were no liberties taken with the design, o the lovely covered headlights, ig rubber bumpers, nd offset tailpipe all remain intact. There's not much chrome, ut the lovely Alfa Romeo script on the tail, he stainless bumper inserts, nd door handles remain in excellent shape.The handsome black leather interior is beautifully appointed in the way that only the Italians seem to have mastered. The driving position is excellent and even though that shifter looks odd, t works well and feels quite natural on the road. Bucket seats hold just snugly enough and the door panels are in great shape, s are the black carpets. The wood-rimmed wheel is elegant and just what this car should be carrying and the big, ound gauges from Jaeger are elegant and simple. The switch gear and controls for the ventilation system are typically confusing in the Italian way, ut shockingly, he A/C is fully functional and the AM/FM/cassette stereo sounds great. There's a reasonably-sized trunk in back, lso nicely finished with black carpet, nd the black convertible top looks almost new.But the real reason people love and drive Alfa Romeos is the powerplant. The 2.0 liter twin cam inline-four isn't about horsepower, ut it does love to rev, akes beautiful sounds, nd pulls the little roadster around with ease. Running through the gears, t's easy to see Niki Lauda himself behind the wheel, miling, s the machine does its thing. Yes, t really does feel different. Extensive service records totaling almost $10,000 show that this is no neglected beater, ut a cherished toy that has always been treated well. It starts easily and sounds fantastic exhaling through a 4-2-1 header and new exhaust system. Many of the suspension components are new, he fuel pump has been replaced, nd the underside is original but quite clean, o it's ready to enjoy without a second thought. Beautiful alloy wheels remain in excellent condition with no curb rash or corrosion and wear 195/70/14 blackwall radials.A fun Italian roadster with a cool story behind it, his Alfa makes an easy and affordable first step into the world of Italian sports cars. Call today!